Manchester United vs Athletic Bilbao

Manchester United’s ultimate pre-season friendly ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season takes place at Old Trafford as they welcome out-of-sorts La Liga side Athletic Bilbao.

Despite finding themselves 1-0 down at halftime, Manchester United fought back in the second half to dismantle Ligue 1 runners-up Lens 3-1 yesterday, ending a frustrating three-match losing streak. While the outcome of summer friendlies has no relevance, manager Erik ten Hag cannot be pleased with his side’s defensive performances, having overseen four straight games without a clean sheet, three of which saw his men capitulate at least twice. But the ‘Red Devils’ have been regular entertainment providers this summer. Three of their last four pre-season fixtures have seen over 3.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, highlighting the potential for a ‘goal-friendly’ duel at Old Trafford. With United’s only previous meetings with Bilbao producing 3+ goals and both sides scoring, this promises to be an eye-pleasing contest.

However, if there’s a side that knows in-depth about ‘killing the mood,’ it’s Athletic Bilbao. Ernesto Valverde’s men are prone to producing less exciting fixtures, as evidenced by the fact four of their five summer friendlies have contained under 2.5 goals. Worryingly for Valerde, his men only won once in those five matches (D2, L2) despite facing teams outside Europe’s big-five leagues. Bilbao’s poor pre-season form maintained their rotten patch from the tail-end of last season, which saw ‘Los Leones’ suffer five defeats in eight final 2022/23 La Liga matches (W1, D2). Four of those losses came ‘to nil,’ casting doubt on the Spaniards’ bid to pull off an upset at the Theatre of Dreams.